Kitec was a synthetic pipe installed for water supply and infloor heating. Some Kitec fitting failures from corrosion have led to the abandonment of this system, but most existing installation like this one will continue to work well.
Steve Maxwell / Postmedia

Q: What are your thoughts on Kitec pipe that was used for infloor heating in my house built in 2001. I’ve heard about failures of this kind of pipe.

A: I think Kitec will continue to work fine for you. I installed Kitec in the floor of my workshop and it’s performed well since 2007. When the whole Kitec leakage controversy first flared up I spoke with top technical people at the company. They explained that in a few regions Kitec fittings developed corrosion and leaking, but only when exposed to certain types of water chemistry. The pipe itself has always been fine. Problems have always been with the fittings. In-floor heating systems are much less prone to this because they’re closed loop systems that are often filled with treated water. If you have any doubt, refilling your system with water testing near pH 7.0 will eliminate any risk. Also, since your floor has been okay for 16 years, I think you can rest easy. Besides, all the fittings for infloor heating are always installed above the floor, so if the fittings look good you’re fine.

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Frost-proof plumbing

Q: Will encasing water supply lines and drain pipes in spray foam protect them from freezing in the addition I’m planning? The building will sit up on piers so there’s no basement.

A: I’ve worked with and built a number of structures raised above ground like yours in our cold Canadian climate, and I’d take a different approach than you plan. The dangers with your design includes frozen pipes, ant attack on the exposed foam, and an inability to access the pipes in the future. I’ll start with the issue of freezing. While spray foam is a great insulator, your floor frame won’t have any heat to retain. This is why water supply pipes could easily freeze even if they’re surrounded by foam. Exposed foam is also an ant’s dreamland. They love to burrow into it since it’s so much easier to chew through than wood.

I’ve successfully installed drains and water supply lines in raised buildings like yours and I take a two-prong approach. First, all water supply lines are installed inside the warm envelope of the building. This is very easy to do now since we have flexible water supply pipes such as PEX. As for drain pipes, if you make them slope consistently so no water lies in them, they’ll drain completely and won’t freeze.

Just in case, though, I install a CSA-approved heating cable inside the drain pipe. This only needs to be turned ON if a blockage causes water to freeze in the pipe. This might never happen, but if it does you won’t have working drains until late spring without some method of heating the pipe from the inside.

The trick to making all this happen is to build your addition so there’s decent clearance between the underside of the floor and the ground. You need to be able to get under there for installation work.

Q: Can I use foam to insulate a home built with a double-layer of bricks? Doesn’t the foam stop the brick from breathing?

A: Special formulations of slow rise spray foam are made specifically for situations like yours and it causes no problem with the bricks. The challenge with foam is that there’s not much room for it between layers of brick, and that blobs of mortar can stop the foam from filling all the space. A better way to insulate is by adding a 1 1/2 inch-thick layer of extruded polystyrene foam on the inside face of exterior walls, followed by new drywall. This gives more insulation and guarantees complete coverage.

Steve Maxwell has been helping Canadians make the most of their homes, gardens and workshops since 1988. Sign up for his famous Saturday morning mini magazine at BaileyLineRoad.com.

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